Lax Factory : Coaches Blog

Monday, May 14

Coach Funk and the Lax Factory staff will be blogging and posting different items as it pertains to lacrosse, training, and everyday life.

“What should I sign up
for this summer?”

Summer is
fast approaching and the spring lacrosse season has just come to a close.
Whether you are a newbie to the sport of lacrosse or experienced and looking to
improve your skill set, there are about a million different options for a
lacrosse player to do during the summer months. Summer camps, clinics and teams
can all be great options for any player who is looking to take their skill
level up a few notches. However, there are also a lot of options out there that
may not be the best fit for your young laxer! It is our goal to break down a
variety of different options out there to ensure that you make the best choice
for you, which will depend highly on your age and skill level. Here is the
breakdown of what the best options are:

Elementary and Middle School Age
Player

At this age, a fun and engaging
environment should be priority # 1. This is the usual age where a child’s
interest is sparked and their fundamental skill development at this age is
critical for future success. I can’t tell you how many kids I have seen who end
up developing bad habits because of a lack of attention to detail when it comes
to instruction at this particular age.

For the kids in this bracket, I
would pick from these 3 options; private lessons, group skill sessions and a
local camp emphasizing a low camper: staff ratio.

Private lessons will ensure that your child gets
individualized attention necessary to make sure that they learn the
fundamentals properly. 1 on 1 sessions will make sure that your child is being
given a proper assessment of their skill along with proper progressions to
allow them to improve at their own pace.

Group skill sessions will provide a more competitive
environment while also maintaining a high level of individualized instruction.
These group sessions should prioritize specific aspects of the game (shooting,
face-off, etc.) to build upon areas where your child may need more work. The
group setting may also be more appealing for the younger lacrosse player who
may be a little shy or intimidated by working with someone much older than
them.

A local camp that features a low camper: staff ratio is hard
to come by but you should be able to find one with enough effort. The camp
environment is a great experience for any young person and will give them the
feeling that they are “growing up” while still offering them a high level of
instruction and attention. We may be a bit biased but this sure sounds like the
Lax Factory Summer Camps!!! www.FunkLax.com

**I almost never recommend going to a “University” camp
because they typically have a low level of instruction and involve organized
pick-up games throughout the majority of camp. They also feature college
players who typically are helping out at camp because of the nightlife at the
university and not to teach your child. (I know this because I have been there
before!)**

High School Player with College
Aspirations

This is the age where the commitment
to skill level, finding a competitive environment and college coach exposure become
priorities. For this type of athlete, there are 3 options that immediately come
to mind.

Any athlete with college aspirations
should prioritize a high level recruiting camp. This would consist of camps
like Blue Chip, Top 205 and Top Star, to name a few. These camps are somewhat
of a “meat market”, with college coaches in rows of chairs along the field, but
there is no better place to “show what you got” in front of hundreds of college
coaches over a couple day period. This environment is highly recommended for
lacrosse players with exceptional athleticism and 1 on 1 skill due to the fact
that most of the games at these camps turn into a 1 man show. If you pass the
ball away at a recruiting camp, you may never get it back!

This type of player should also be
on a competitive club team that attends summer tournaments with a known
presence of college coaches. The benefit of participating with a club team is
that you are familiar with your teammates and that tends to lead to you
thriving in a more “team oriented” showcase. This type of setting also caters
to the lacrosse player who may not thrive in the 1 on 1 environment that
recruiting camps typically offer.

A positive-specific “Challenge Camp” should be a priority for
any athlete looking to become an advanced level player at their particular
position. These camps fall under the name Attack-Defense Challenge Camp or Goalie
Camp, to name a few. Challenge camps offer an expert level of instruction
targeted at the athlete’s position of choice and are typically highly
competitive. They also tend to feature low camper: staff ratio’s which I think
is critical at any camp.

The last thing that would be a HUGE bonus would be to get invited to a big name event such as the Under Armour All-America tryouts. These events are largely attended by just about every D1 college and provide great exposure to the athlete in addition to being exceptionally well run.

We hope that this gave you a brief
overview of what you should be prioritizing with the summer season right around
the corner. Young players should be looking for opportunities that offer
quality instruction with low camper: staff ratios in order to give them the
fundamentals necessary to develop into an elite level player. The elite level
player with college aspirations should then prioritize a competitive
environment where they will play in front of as many coaches as possible, in
addition to becoming an “Expert” in their particular position. If you have any
questions about specific summer options, please e-mail us at
LaxFactoryTeam@gmail.com!

Coach Funks' 3 part series- Movement Assessments for Lacrosse

Part 1:

It’s the end of March and the season is already halfway over for college players and the high school and youth players aren’t too far behind. This is the time of year when players are either hitting their peak physically or breaking down and ending up hurt. The player’s performance and durability throughout the season is usually highly dependent on what they were doing in the off-season to prepare for the grueling 4-5 months of practices and games. Now is the time where you’ll find out if the athlete was training hard and training smart on a daily basis, or doing biceps curl and playing Call of Doodee.... Continue Reading Here

Part 2:

After introducing you all to the importance of movement screening and its implications for both injury prevention and lacrosse performance, it is time to dive into part 2 of this series on Movement Assessments for Lacrosse. If you missed part 1, I highly suggest you check that out HERE before reading any further!

In part 2, we are going to go over my general movement screens for the lower extremities and some follow up assessments that are used when things don’t look up to par. The general movement screens (“top tier” movements) consist of 3 movements that look at the lower extremities in a symmetrical stance, split stance and single leg stance position. These top tier movements are non-specific to a particular joint and look at the combined mobility and stability of the athlete’s body in each stance.... Continue Reading Here

Part 3:

The 3rd and final section of Movement Screening for Lacrosse is here and it may be the most important read of the bunch. In this section, I will break down 3 movements that I look at for the upper half of the body and their relation to performance and injury risk in lacrosse. If you are tuning into this blog series for the 1st time, I highly suggest you take a rewind back to part 1 and part 2 before reading any further.

In these next 3 screens, I will break down the athlete’s posture, scapular stability and mobility through key areas of the body. While the lower body is the foundation for any sport and is highly important, these 3 movements expose “chinks in the armor” of many lacrosse players that I have worked with to date..... Continue Reading Here.